Hidden Away
by KaliAnn
Summary: The world is changing becoming deadlier for the dragons and their human friends. After the attack on Berk by Grimmel the Grisly, Hiccup has a tough choice to make. Should his tribe stay on Berk or should they go searching for the legendary Hidden World. When his friend Nissa visits she offers him a third choice. Will he take it?


**I loved Httydr 3 a lot Still, I want to do my own spin on it with my original character Nissa. I hope you like it. **

* * *

It was another beautiful day on the island of Xanadu. It was a little more than a year since Nissa Draki had been crowned queen. It had been a rough year for the young woman, who had once been seen as worthless by many. Many problems arose after her coronation; ranging from negotiations with the mythos on the other side of the island to finding ways to convert saltwater to fresh during a severe dry spell.

The ones who once doubted Nissa now saw her as a great leader and compassionate person to care for their island home. With her gentle yet firm nature, she was leading her people into a new era of their lives.

Today started very typically. The Draconia Daypeaces were going around doing their business and practicing manifesting into their dragon forms. Children were attending the Conservatory. The priestesses at the temple were working hard to polish up their home.

Meanwhile, at the royal palace, a meeting was taking place. Queen Nissa was sitting at the head of the table. On the right side, there were leaders of the mythos who lived on the other half of Xanadu.

To her left, were representatives of a few different descendants of the Elemental Dragons along with leaders from the areas the Gateways lead to who knew about the Draconia Daypeaces. At the end of the table was the Berk Ambassador Gustave, who was squirming in his chair.

A week ago, Nissa had received varying reports and letters from other mythos groups. She was also being petitioned by the ones on the other side of the island demanding to speak with her. So she hastily put together this summit of leaders to discuss an ongoing problem.

The topic of the summit was how to deal with the ever-increasing incidents between mythos and humans. Over the past six years, conflicts had broken out across the globe. Homes had been destroyed. Lives had been taken on both sides. Peace between humans and mythos was starting to seem impossible.

The summit had been going on for well over two hours. Everyone was quarreling about how humans should be taken care of. Many of the creatures wanted to destroy humans, starting with Gustave. It was taking every bit of courage for the teenager not to flee from the room lest he is hunted down by the other mythos present.

The voices were getting louder and louder. No one was liaising with each other. At this rate, nothing would be accomplished. Since becoming the queen of her people, Nissa was starting to release how hard it was not to scream out loud in frustration.

Holding her right hand over her heart, she focused on her mental abilities linking her Dragon Heart with all the leaders. She softly started to sing, letting her magical hum echo in the hearts of others, making them let go of their anger.

Only when everyone was quiet did she stop singing. She looked at each of the leaders with compassion and a gentle smile on her face. "I understand all of us in attendance are frustrated and you're all trying to do what's best for your people. I fail to see how getting into a screaming match for an hour is going to solve the issue at hand.

You asked me to host this gathering because though I am young, I have accomplished much for my people and as one of the few mythoi who can understand the ways of humans perfectly.

So here is what we're going to do. I'm going to have lunch delivered to this meeting hall and after everyone has eaten their fill, we will resume discussions on what to do about the ongoing conflict between humans and dragons/mythos. Also, no one will harm or threaten my human ambassador for the rest of the meeting. Am I clear?" Nissa stated sharply.

Everyone nodded, knowing they were pressing their luck with the one person who had control of the entire island they were presently on. If Nissa wanted to, she could use her link to destroy the different leaders' parties with a single thought. Also, they didn't want to make her Honor Guards Ula and Steiner angry.

After a nutritious lunch, everyone seemed to have calmed down. Servants were bringing in fresh drinks for everyone to prevent anyone from getting a hoarse voice with all the talking.

Taking a deep breath, Queen Nissa brought the meeting to order once more. "My fellow leaders, we have all come today to figure out what to do with the ever-increasing threat of evil humans. While ten percent of the population are decent people who wish us no harm, the other ninety percent are not. Their sinful behavior is a threat to us all and we must decide what we're going to do survive."

The other leaders muttered to themselves before the mythos leader of the merfolk of the Mediterranean waters raised his hand to speak. He was a muscular middle age merman with dark hair and eyes with a sparkling white and black tail. To help keep him comfortable, he was in a water chair, a chair that had water running through it, to keep him wet.

"My dear Queen Nissa, while I admire your beliefs and the second chances you give humans here, we cannot forget they do more harm than good. The sea waters are filled with the junk they throw overboard with no consideration to the harmful effects it has."

The merman looked down at the table, his hands twitching as he struggled to speak further. "As of a late many of our fish stocks are disappearing, along with kelp forests. I've been in contact with our cousins in the other parts of the worlds. The river mermaids of the Amazon jungle speak of being hunted for deaths they did not commit.

The ones in the warm ocean have mentioned some of their children are missing, they believe they have been taken to the human's temples to be sacrificed for their gods."

The news frightened many of the leaders who had also suffered losses of their young. The dragons were skeptical asking if there was any proof to their claims. The merfolk leader replied he brought no physical evidence, he was only reporting what he had been told in a letter.

The leader of the mythos horses, a beautiful pale lavender pegasus with dark purple eyes, mane, and tail, stomped her hoof. Everyone turned their attention to her. "Thank you for sharing your concerns merman. I strongly hope for your people the reports of kidnapped children are not true.

Before coming here, I witnessed a horror no one should ever have to see. As I flew here, I saw a group of hunters chasing down and capturing young unicorns, whose horns had only started to grow. They cruelly cut them off before dragging the foals and fillies away.

I followed them, intent on freeing the young ones. When I stumbled across their camp, I nearly passed out. They had been eating the unicorns! They believed that consuming their meat made them magical.

I was so angry I flew into a rage and destroyed that whole camp and killed every last human I could find. I rescued the youngsters and returned them to their parents, who were heartbroken by what their children went through."

The somber story touched everyone there. Gustave was slipping further and further down in his seat. He was starting to truly understand what humans had been doing when they hunted and killed dragons believing they were protecting their home and earning glory from the blood sport.

All the other leaders took turns talking. Some of them mentioned human allies who protected or saved them, showing not all humans were bad, but a vast majority of stories depicted more horrors.

Finally, it was Gustave's turn to speak. "As you know I'm a super badass Viking, I helped take down some pretty bad guys if I do say so myself. There was one time…."

He gulped timidly when he saw the evil eye he was getting from the other leaders. Nissa gestured to him, telling him to take a deep breath and speak the truth from his heart.

Pulling at the collar of his shirt, he rephrased his comment. "What I meant to say, was that the people of Berk have mended our ways. We've worked hard to make up for three centuries of war."

He took a deep breath and removed his helmet off his head and tossed it behind him. "I know we can't make up for the thousands of lives we took. I know you look down at me because you think Fanghook is my slave. He's not, he's my best friend and we share a unique bond.

You have my word that the people of Berk are no longer the Vikings you have heard about. We will never go back to the old ways and as long as Hiccup and his bloodline exist, we will defend dragons and other mythos from harm. All I ask is you give us the chance to prove that."

Nissa gave the boy a reassuring smile before settling down in her seat. At the moment, she had to put aside her personal feelings if she was to be objective. Her ideals of peace and exploration couldn't be forced onto others.

"Now that each of us has had a turn to speak, it is time for us to reach an amalgamated decision on what we're going to do about the current situation. I'm open to suggestions."

The descendant of the Elemental Earth Dragon, the Sand Asdeev, started growling and waving his claws around. He puffed out fire and lashed out his tail nearly striking the representatives of other Elemental Dragons descendants.

Nissa reached out with her Dragon Heart and made contact with the other dragon's mind. _"Peace my friend. You need to calm down, please. We can't understand you when you're growling like this."  
_

The leader heard her words and calmed down. He apologized for his overzealous response. This time he spoke slower and for those who couldn't understand what he said, Honor Guard Steiner translated.

"The battle between humans and dragons/mythos is only going to get worse. While we are stronger and more dangerous, we can't overcome human ingenuity and their numbers. They will continue to hunt us down or sell us for money.

At this point, I suggest we _do _become mythological creatures of old. We must go into hiding to avoid any more deaths and destruction of our homes. It is our only chance to stay alive."

His suggestion was well received. The female leader of the shapeshifters from Africa nodded in agreement. "While I detest the idea that we are surrendering to humans by going into hiding, it does sound logical to me."

She changed her appearance to match a young woman from an African village to show an example of who her people hid from. "Amongst my kind, some of them do need to feed on humans to survive. It is getting rather difficult for many of them. They've gotten smarter with protective charms and their magic to repel us. I rather not risk any more shapeshifters being found out and killed. We should go into hiding."

Nissa's former combat mentor, Jade of the Lion Dragons/Elemental Lightning Dragon wiggled her whiskers drawing attention to herself _"I sense all of us assembled agree with hiding away, but there are still things we all need to consider.  
_

_First, we need to have space to live and grow. Second, a way to protect our new boundaries from evil humans. Third, for those of us who have human allies for protection, we need to alert them and give them time to prepare for keeping us safe forever."  
_

"Ha, the point of this is to get away from humans, not let them know we're going in hiding!" the satyr shouted at Jade. There were murmurs of agreement from half the table. The other side argued there were still humans the trusted and Gustav added that human friends would want to know about their plans.

Nissa whistled loudly and everyone quieted down. She stood up and used her Dragon Heart to connect with everyone in the room so they could hear and feel her talk. You could feel how difficult this was for her.

"Since I was a little girl, I believed in the possibility of humans and mythos living in harmony. I trained as a Recruiter and established siblinghood with one of the most amazing human males I've ever met.

What Gustave has said is true. The people of Berk are no longer our enemies. My former mentor Jade is right, the humans we consider friends should be told about what we are doing. They _deserve_ to know."

The other leaders spoke to each other discussing the pros and cons of letting some humans know what they were doing and where they would be. Those who had positive encounters pointed out the benefit of having humans protect them from harm and how crucial they would be reintegrating the mythos to the human world if it ever became safe again to come out of hiding.

Those with negative encounters dismissed this so called blessing. They wanted to keep humans away forever and would maim or kill any human that came to close. They even made threats of going after the nice humans antagonizing the positive side.

Fearing this issue would tear the summit leaders apart, Nissa interjected. "Everyone please be calm. I can feel how deeply your anger and hate flows in your veins. You have every right to those feelings and if your people chose to kill humans who come to close that is within your rights.

Hurting humans who are friends with other mythos is not acceptable. If some resemblance of peace can be maintained, then it should be as a sign of hope that one day in the far future humans and mythos can live together in peace."

Two hours later, Nissa left the meeting hall in horrible pain and exhausted. It had been a long session and only ten minutes ago had everyone agreed on the terms of hiding away.

During the next month, preparations would be made to allow mythos to hide away from the world and fade into legend. Each group had agreed that their community could decide the fate of any human who came to their lands. At the same time, they couldn't attack humans under the protection of another group.

To win this concession Nissa had to promise something big. It would impact her people's lives forever and go against everything she believed in, but she had no choice. In one month, she and her Honor Guard would destroy the Gateways forever to prevent any humans from using them to capture/kill mythos.

* * *

The next day Nissa visited Healer Skerry to seek his advice on what she had done. The elderly healer performed a massage as he worked out the tension from yesterday's meeting. "I heard what happened at the meeting and what you have to do."

Nissa sighed and blew a strand of hair away from her face. She looked very sad. "I never thought I would agree to something like this. Part of me wants to go back on the promise I made.

The Gateways are vital to our existence. We've studied them for centuries. Remember the time I used the gateway Uncle Aksel created to go to Fire Trial Island and how it stopped working after our return?"

Healer Skerry nodded as he recalled how he struggled to save Captain Livis life and in the end, he couldn't do it. He had lost a dear friend that day, but Nissa had lost her mentor and an adult who had believed in her.

Sitting up on the massage table, Nissa gazed out the window staring at the horizon of the sea. "Uncle Aksel was devastated when the Gateway stopped working. He tried to hide it from me but I could feel how sad he was through our bond. I'll always regret destroying his life's work."

"The Gateway prototype was his dream as a scientist. I assure you his life's work was being a good husband, father, and king to our people. He never regretted the fact you and Arkin made it safely through his prototype."

Absentmindedly, Nissa nodded as she continued to think about how her promise. With the Gateways destroyed, she would never be able to travel to Berk again. Her attempts to produce indigo-colored fire had all failed at this point.

I might never be able to create a Gateway portal on my own. Even with the mirror amplifying my abilities it will still be difficult to maintain my bond with Hiccup as the years pass. I don't want to give up on my soulfire friend, but what choice do I have?

Healer Skerry felt his queen's troubled thoughts. Linking up with her Dragon Heart, he brought her into his mindscape.

_Skerry's mindscape was his office only bigger and with flowers all over the place. He glanced at Nissa, whose own mindscape was of Berk and her standing on the edge of a cliff. _

_ "I see that the situation with Berk weighs heavily on your mind. Do you intend to jump off the cliff or walk away?" _

_ "I don't know Healer Skerry. This place is as much part of me as Xanadu is. I can't bear to part with it. It helped shape me into the queen I am today." Looking behind her she saw a Gateway pop into existence, the one she used to travel to Berk all the time. _

_ Healer Skerry lip twitched and he manifested his wings. He glided over to Nissa side of the mindscape. Demanifesting his wings, he placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. _

_ "This Gateway symbolizes more than your passage to Berk. It reminds you of your apprenticeship, our mission of peace, and lastly family. I feel that way as well." _

_ Tilting her head up, Nissa nodded and then gazed back at the Gateway. The portal inside shifted showing her many adventures and the peace tours she had been on. Her people's history played right before her eyes knowing how vital the Gateways were to the Draconia Daypeaces way of life. _

_ Then the portal changed as it showed the harm down by Draco because he had traveled through them. How the portal to the Isle of Nightfurys had dragged humans out of their time period carrying weapons. _

_ Finally, the Gateway shut down. "I know the Gateways can be used for evil purposes, which is why the other leaders want them to be destroyed. At the same time can our people adapt to no longer being able to travel great distances or bringing humans here to change them into one of us?" _

_ "Our ancestors had to adapt after becoming hybrids thanks to the gift bestowed upon us by Helios and Tyra. With each new king or queen, we've adapted to the changes they implement. We can find a new way of life."_

_ "I hope so. I wish I could bring the people of Berk to Xanadu so I wouldn't have to sacrifice my friendships for safety."_

_Healer Skerry had an amused smile on his face. "Perhaps you can. We do need to return Gustave and his family to Berk and explain to our northern cousins what is happening so they can make their preparations for hiding.  
_

_ If you explain the situation to Hiccup, I'm sure he would at least consider your offer to move his tribe to one of the nearby islands to live. For our cousins who can't survive this climate, there is always the option of going to the Hidden World to live." _

_Nissa's eyes lit up as she realized the truth in Healer Skerry's words. She had a month to prepare for the mass hiding of the mythos world. Perhaps she could persuade Hiccup and his tribe to relocate here.  
_

_ "You make an excellent point Healer Skerry. Let us return to the real world so we can begin preparations for the mass hiding." _

* * *

Later that day, everyone assembled in the courtyard waiting for the big announcement Queen Nissa had for them. Everyone whispered among themselves as they waited for her to make an appearance.

Queen Nissa appeared on the balcony accompanied by her Honor Guard, Healer Skerry, and Gustave and his family. She had chosen to wear her finest clothes today.

Her outfit was a royal peplum tunic pinned to both shoulders with a gold belt cinching it to her waist, where it hung about two inches past her knees. Silvery swirls dotted the garment. Her epiblema was dusty pink with silver trim. Her sturdy leather laced up sandals were brand new as her crown sparkled in the afternoon sun.

"My fellow Draconia Daypeaces, I have an important announcement to share with you. As you know, yesterday the other mythos and I were in a summit to come up with a solution to the aggressive human conflicts.

It was decided the best way avoid conflict is for all of us to go into hiding. In one month, all mythos, including us, will go into hiding until the day comes humans are ready to accept us living among them.

To ensure the good humans who are our friends and protectors, I had to make a promise, one that weighs heavily on my heart. The Gateways must be destroyed."

Everyone gasped and shouts started how she could promise such a thing. The Recruiters were demanding how they were expected to their job. Others were protesting about the whole idea of going into hiding.

Nissa reached out with Dragon Heart connecting to everyone on the island. She shared with them her heartache and how she regretted making that promise. Through the bond she showed them why the promise had been made, sending the clips of her memories of Draco Bludfist and the death of her aunt.

"I assure you, I feel the same way about this, but my personal feelings must be set aside for the greater good. The entire mythos community is in danger and if we are selfish, then we are condemning others to death. I am not willing to have blood on my hands.

We will adapt and find new ways to continue our mission of peace and friendship. It will take time but together I know we can do it. My Honor Guard and I will be escorting Gustave and his family back to Berk to let them know what is happening so that our northern cousins have time find good hiding places.

In my absence, Healer Skerry will be in charge. He will be leading you in making preparations for the mass hiding. When I return, I expect Xanadu to be ready for the event. I will be leaving tomorrow morning. In the names of Helios and Tyra, I vow nothing will happen to the Draconia Daypeaces!"

The rest of the day was spent drawing up lists of what needed to be done, ideas for destroying the Gateways, and figuring out how far she could spread the Mist that protected island without overextending herself.

That night, Nissa tossed and turned in her bed. She gripped the sheets tightly in fear. "No, no, this can't be happening. No!"

_She was in Hiccup's home and he was holding out his sword towards a tall, lanky man with white hair. The man fired his crossbow twice, hitting two big piles with a blanket on top of them. _

_Hiccup demanded to know who the man was. He called himself Grimmel the Grisly. His soliloquy __about his childhood as he killed every Nightfury he could find. It was taking an enormous effort on Hiccup's to keep from revealing that the Nightfurys were still alive and thriving on their island, safely living in the past.  
_

_ Grimmel maneuvered his way to two blankets before ripping them off. He expected to find two Nightfurys. Instead, he found Fishlegs and the twins struggling to stay awake because the arrow had been dosed with a sleeping agent. _

_The crossbow went flying from Grimmel's hand into the fire without anyone touching it. Grimmel only had a second to realize his weapon was gone when a female in a wingsuit dropped on him.  
_

_ He shoved her off and found Gobber, Valka, and Toothless pop out of the shadows. There was no sign of Orli, but Hiccup knew she would be protecting her young. _

_ Hiccup's mouth moved but no words could be heard. His eyes were glowing green and fingernails were slowly turning into claws. Both he and Toothless let out a mighty roar at the intruder. _

_ Grimmel stood there and looked bored. He whispered something and suddenly the entire house was on fire. Something came through the roof and a sharp scorpion-like tail repeatedly struck out amongst the rising smoke.  
_

_ Everyone scrambled to get out of the house only to stop dead in their tracks as the entire village burned before them. There was an evil laugh and the sound of wings as the villain disappeared into the night._

"NNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Nissa screeched as she sat up in bed. Her body was covered in sweat and her heart was racing a mile a minute. There were burn marks all over her bed and she felt as if her soul was breaking apart.

There was pounding at the door and the sound of two people trying to remember which key went in the lock, but Nissa blocked it out. Something bad had just happened to her pseudo little brother and he needed her _right now!_

A few minutes later Ula and Steiner stormed into the room ready to take down any threat to their queen. They saw the damage to the floor and sweat-soaked nightwear laying in a pile on the floor. Near the balcony doors to their shock, was a large stable indigo portal.

"Steiner, fetch Healer Skerry and bring Ambassador Gustave and his family here as quickly as possible. I fear something very wrong has occurred."

* * *

At the other end of the portal a Draconia Daypeace flew out at top speed heading towards an island that was a mile away. Her keen sight allowed her to see the destructive fires still raging, making the Isle of Berk nearly identical to Tartarus.

Channeling her magic throughout her body, Nissa light up the night sky as she glowed brighter than the stars and moon, signaling her arrival to the two Honor Guard members, Davin, and Fia who had remained on Berk after she departed last year.

As she got closer to the island, Nissa's eyes teared up as she felt Hiccup's emotional pain. Shame for not stopping this, anger at the one who caused this, and general sadness about the destruction of his home.

As she reached the airspace above Berk, she was joined by Davin and Fia. Both of them looked exhausted and by the looks of the small number of orange fire barriers, they were no closer to putting the fire out.

_"You're Majesty! What are you doing here?" _Davin demanded angrily. _"Where are your Honor Guards or Healer Skerry? Are you here by yourself?!" _

_ "Now is not the time for you to be questioning your Queen! We need to put out this fire and without any sunlight, I can't cast any major spells that would help us out. We need to improvise a solution here. Fia any ideas?" _

The female Honor Guard shook her head. The three of them banked down, collected seawater in their mouths and spat it at the docks, but it did little good. All around the islands dragons of every type and size flew about trying to help out.

Several Tidal Class dragons were spewing water from all sides of the island, while Boulder Class dragons kept kicking large amounts of dirt to smother the flames.

Stoker Class dragons braved the flames to rescue people with the aid of Tracker Class dragons to direct them where to go. Mystery Class Dragons were rounding up and looking after the youngest members of the pack, keeping a close eye on each hatchling.

The Fear class was doing the same thing only they were keeping an eye on the humans. They kept doing headcounts as humans were brought to safety. When an area had been cleared, the Sharp Class would mark the area so no one went that way.

If she hadn't been glowing Nissa would have missed seeing the few Strike class dragons that called Berk home using their incredible speed to deliver much needed supplies.

Her eyes spotted Hiccup and Toothless below her as the two of them called out orders from above. They were doing the best they could, but if a miracle didn't happen soon, the entire village would be lost.

If only we could create some kind of blanket that would cool the flames and prevent them from mixing it with the oxygen, then the fire would go out. Maybe we can make a foam of some kind!

She shared her idea with the two Honor Guard members and they thought it was a good idea if they could find natural elements to make the foam. It took fifteen minutes, but they finally created enough foam to cover the entire island.

(By the way, I don't understand the chemistry behind fire suppression foam so I have no idea how it's made).

With the aid of the other dragons, the fire was soon put out just as Healer Skerry, the rest of the Honor Guard, and Gustave with his family riding Fanghook showed up. Nissa locked eyes with Hiccup, who was trying to keep his people calm. An unspoken message was conveyed.

They needed to talk about what was going on later.

* * *

The next morning, Nissa was up early as she headed to the top of the hill where the remains of Hiccup and Valka's home lay. The wood had been completely charred and the structure entirely gutted. She looked at the damaged personal belongings, nothing was salvageable.

"It's a sad sight huh," Hiccup said as he came up to stand beside her. He stared at the remains of his house, trying to keep the tears from falling. "Everything is gone. I have nothing of my dad anymore and the sketches we made are ash."

Nissa turned slightly to him with an understanding expression. "Your possessions are gone, but not the memories. As long as you carry them in your heart nothing is truly gone."

The young man gave her a tiny smile before running his hands through his hair. She didn't need to use her necklace to see how angry his aura really was. "You know what happened here don't you?"

Nissa nodded sadly. "Through our bond, I saw what was going on. I felt your anger and saw you starting to take on dragon features before you were attacked by something hiding in the smoke. The entire incident woke me up."

She was quiet for a few moments. She remembered how in her emotional state she flung her nightwear off and instinctively put on her Viking clothes. "My emotional stress was so large, I overcame my block and created indigo fire."

"So that's how you got here so fast. Do you think you can do it again without the emotional stress?" Hiccup asked her curiously.

Nissa shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea. I'm just glad that I got here in time to help. I didn't expect to be here today. I was supposed to be beginning my voyage to come to Berk with some important news."

Hiccup's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Whatever your news is must be pretty big otherwise you would have used the mirror to tell me what is going on. What is it?"

Nissa shook her head. "My news can wait until after breakfast. I also need you to bring your mother, Astrid, and Toothless, along with anyone else who helps you make important decisions for the tribe."

Clean up began right after breakfast. The dragons removed the wreckage from the village and took it to a large pit the Whispering Death had made. Meanwhile, the humans searched through the debris to see what they could salvage.

Healer Skerry and Gothi roamed throughout the village treating people who still had serious injuries. Lumina's protection blanket had destroyed when Gothi's home came tumbling down last night. Despite this, the young Skrill braved the sun to help out.

Mulch and Bucket were checking to see how much food they had left and if any farm animals needed attention. Snotlout and his father were down at the remains of the dock to examine if the boats were still in good condition.

Fishlegs, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut had been assigned to watch over the smaller children and baby dragons. For once, the twins were taking this seriously and keeping their foolish larks under control.

Hiccup and Astrid with some help from Valka and Eret were directing the different groups on their assignments. They would pitch in and help each family recover what they could.

Nissa was working side by side with Ula and Steiner. She had commanded the rest of the Honor Guard to leave Berk and spread the message of the mass hiding which was to take place to their cousins and anyone who interacted with the dragons. It was imperative the message reached everyone as quickly as possible.

"I cannot believe that one man was able to cause so much destruction to a single village," Ula commented as she surveyed the village remains. "They're completely vulnerable here. Grimmel was the first Hunter here and you can bet there will be others. To stay here and rebuild is senseless."

"We're talking about Vikings remember. They have stubbornness issues," Steiner remarked as he sifted through the rubble of what used to be the school. He was angry that the building the Draconia Daypeaces had built for the people of Berk was completely gone.

He bent down and picked up a torn corner of a book. You could still smell the faint scent of smoke on it. "All the knowledge we shared with Berk gone in ablaze. I wish the scoundrel Grimmel the Grisly was still here I would run my blade up his…"

Nissa glared at him making it clear she didn't approve of any foul language. Steiner wisely stopped talking and went back to looking through the debris. Nissa walked a few paces away to deal with her thoughts.

Ula and Steiner are right as usual she thought to herself. Hiccup is smart enough to know that his people can't live on Berk anymore. Where would he take his entire tribe to resettle?

They can't go back to the Edge and none of the islands on Hiccup's map have enough space and food for both humans and dragons. Hopefully, my soulfire will take me up on my offer once I explain everything to him.

When the sun reached its peak, Hiccup and Astrid let everyone know it was time for a break. Many protested, of course, arguing they should continue working. The chief's response was he wasn't going to let any more of his people hurt when they didn't know when to take a break.

_"Can we have that talk now? I want to know what was so important that you sent most of the Honor Guard out to deliver your news." _

_ "Of course. Since the Great Hall is the only place left standing lets meet there."_

_ "Good idea, let me gather the others and I'll meet you there." _

* * *

A short time later Hiccup, Astrid, and Valka gathered at the head table. Gobber was also there trying to not get annoyed as little Stoic and Reyna, chewed on his prosthetic. Orli would occasionally nip at the babies, but her and Toothless focus was on Nissa and her two Honor Guard members.

"Before we hear what you have to say, Nissa, I want to take stock of my village." Turning to Gobber he asked what the preliminary report was. The old Viking gave a sad sigh. You could tell it wasn't good news.

"Grimmel's attack devastated us. We lost all our weapons, building materials, and almost all of Gothi's medicine. Half the food store is gone and the heat of the fire has dried up the well.

Spitelout found three ships still seaworthy. Unlucky for us is everything else down by the docks is gone. Mulch and Bucket reported we lost three yaks, two sheep, and one chicken. Everything we had growing in the fields was incinerated."

Hiccup hung his head down in shame. "Mom, is there any good news you can give me? Have any of the families been able to salvage any of their belongings?"

"Not many. A few dishes or small personal items. The villagers only have the clothes on their backs."

_"The pack has also suffered greatly. The hanger is destroyed, all the perches and feeding stations are not usable. Many dragons lost their lives or have succumbed to injuries," _Orli added sadly.

_"Those still alive have suffered lifelong injuries. No one is completely grounded at least. It will be hard for some to learn to fly but they'll be able to do it. The young in the pack have been traumatized. I have no idea if they'll recover from this," _Toothless informed the group.

Astrid put her hand over her fiancés and squeezed it tightly. "We'll get through this babe, we always do."

Through their, bond Nissa could tell Hiccup was already prepping for bad news from her. She tried to shield him from her sadness and anger. Taking a deep breath she told him what was going on.

"The situation with evil humans has grown huge over the last few years. Despite the advantage mythos have none of us can keep up with the vast number of humans or their ingenuity when it comes to finding ways to harm us.

It was collectively decided that all of us become true mythos. We're going into hiding one month from yesterday. Right now, mythos across the world are making preparations to go into hiding. That's why I sent the Honor Guard out to inform all the dragons and people associated with them are ready to go into hiding."

Steeling herself for the hardest part of her news, she linked with everyone's minds so they could fully understand why she had made the promise she had. "I had to make a big concession for half the mythos parties to agree that good humans should know what's going on and give the option of going into hiding with us. We're going to destroy the Gateways."

She felt everyone's shock and disbelief. They all knew what those Gateways meant to the Draconia Daypeaces. How were they supposed to keep up an alliance if they couldn't communicate with each other?

_"You're serious about this? Nissa, if you destroy the Gateways we'll never see each other again. Even with our bond amplified by your mirror, it won't be the same. I don't want to lose my best friend." _

_ "I know Hiccup. Do you think I want to lose my soulfire?" _

_ "Soulfire?" _

_ "It's our term for people who complete someone in a platonic manner. I believe you use the words kindred spirit. I can't be selfish this time. Remember Draco? Can you imagine Grimmel using the Gateways and hunting down my people? I can't allow that. I didn't come here to just tell you what's going on. I have an offer for you." _

"What's your offer?" Hiccup said switching to speaking out loud so everyone could hear what the two had been discussing mentally.

"You and your tribe could return to Xanadu with me. There's a big enough island three miles off our west coast to settle on. It's within my Mist range so it would not be detectable by others. Everyone on Berk would be safe."

Gobber let out a snort. "Nissa, I thought you knew by now Vikings don't abandon their home. We have lived on Berk for several generations now. To just give it up and move doesn't make sense!"

Valka disagreed with Gobber. "I already lost one home Gobber. As much as I wanted to live out my life in the White King's nest, there was no going back after its destruction. You and I both now that we can't rebuild Berk in time to defend ourselves."

Astrid agreed and reminded him with limited food and water supply, the tribe would lose half their numbers to starvation and dehydration if they stayed on the island.

Hiccup nodded his head. "We can't stay on Berk any longer. We need to move." He looked at Nissa and asked if the island would have enough resources for all the new dragons who joined the pack.

"At the moment know. Also, certain species of dragons won't be able to adjust to the warmer climate in the Mediterranean Sea. They'll have to remain here in the north. I can use a Gateway to send those dragons to the Hidden World."

Hiccup leaped up from his chair and stared at her with wide eyes. "The Hidden World is real and you know where it is? It would be the perfect place for our tribe to live without having to leave anyone behind."

_"It is a perfect place for dragons to live not humans my friend," _Toothless rumbled. _"The Hidden World was the birthplace of the Elemental Dragons and has remained a sanctuary for all dragons since then. Humans are forbidden from going there. We would be separated forever if you choose to ignore my warning." _

"So the Hidden World isn't an option for us either. Hiccup, I know how hard this is, but I don't think we have a choice. Nissa's solution is the only one that will work," Astrid whispered to him.

"Do you think our people can adapt though? We're pretty stuck in our ways and most of them won't be much help in our new environment if we go."

"With you leading us, I have no doubt."

"Then I guess we're all moving to the Mediterranean. I'll announce it tonight. We need to be prepared to leave in three days. Will, that give enough time for your Honor Guard to return Nissa?"

With a nod from her, Hiccup declared the meeting over and asked none of them to speak about his decision to the tribe.

* * *

Five days later, the dragon hunters arrived at Berk, ready to take revenge on Hiccup and his dragon loving tribe for setting their shipments free. What they found was a ghost town with no sign of where they went.

They would report back to Grimmel the Grisly, who would convince them that the tribe headed west to start over. The man would waste his time and money searching for the tribe and never find them.

The Lightfury he had captured would escape and find her way to the Hidden World, where she made friends with the dragons from Berk that couldn't make the journey. She would find a male Skrill to be her mate and have children with.

The Berserker tribe and those who live near the Edge had vanished as well. Their island homes ended up being swallowed by the sea. Viking tribes would search for dragons to slay for glory in vain until they came to conclusion dragons were not real.

Unbeknownst to the world, the last remnants of Old magic had been destroyed. The Gateways were no more. The necklaces the riders wore had been used to detonate the entire network.

Safely behind the Mist on New Berk, the Hairy Hooligan tribe would rebuild and adapt. Their dragon friends free and safe from any harm. A true alliance between New Berk and Xanadu would grow stronger and stronger over the years.

As for Hiccup and Nissa? Hiccup would marry Astrid and have two children who would eventually bond with little Stoick and Reyna. The Haddock bloodline would remain close friends with the bloodline of Helios and Tyra.

Queen Nissa would eventually find a husband who respected her and loved her for who she was. She would give birth to an heiress, who she named Astrid in honor of her friend.

Together the two tribes would live and wait for the day that mythos could rejoin the world. When that day came it would be a celebration for all.


End file.
